Life Guard, 21, fired after saving a drowning man.

[busydude]

http://us.cnn.com/2012/07/05/us/florida-lifeguard-fired/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Orlando-based Jeff Ellis and Associates, the company Lopez worked for, said lifeguards cannot go beyond the perimeter of the beach they are responsible for overseeing.

But that day, a beachgoer rushed to Lopez's lifeguard station to alert him to a man who was drowning.

The man was some 1,500 feet outside the company's protection zone in an area where signs warn visitors to swim at their own risk, a supervisor with the company told CNN affiliate WPTV.

Even though he knew it was outside the company protection zone, Lopez ran into the ocean toward the struggling man and pulled him ashore.

 

[kyrax12]

Internet shitstorm> Business Boycott> Guy gets rehired.

 

[dmcowen674]

Life Guard, 21, fired after saving a drowning man.

http://us.cnn.com/2012/07/05/us/florida-lifeguard-fired/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Quote:
Orlando-based Jeff Ellis and Associates, the company Lopez worked for, said lifeguards cannot go beyond the perimeter of the beach they are responsible for overseeing.

But that day, a beachgoer rushed to Lopez's lifeguard station to alert him to a man who was drowning.

The man was some 1,500 feet outside the company's protection zone in an area where signs warn visitors to swim at their own risk, a supervisor with the company told CNN affiliate WPTV.

Even though he knew it was outside the company protection zone, Lopez ran into the ocean toward the struggling man and pulled him ashore.

He broke the rules, he should have stood at the line in the sand and watch the guy drown.

He is a liability and should never get another job ever again.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I wouldn't want to watch some guy drown.

He did the right thing.

 

[DAGTA]

Of course he did the right thing. I wouldn't hesitate to hire him.

 

[Veliko]

Assuming that there is nothing more to this story, his sacking is absurd, and disgraceful.

The 'liabilities' excuse is something that the pen pushers should be ashamed of.

 

[thegimp03]

Internet shitstorm> Business Boycott> Guy gets rehired.

Nicely summarized.

 

[CPA]

Not sure I want this to become a trend, but I hope someone puts up a donation page similar to the bus monitor grandma. He should be rewarded for doing the right thing.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

Good Samaritan laws protect the lifeguard in most states even if something went wrong. I would feel obligated to assist someone if I saw someone struggling and was trained in a particular skill that could save their life. I would hope most people would feel obligated to help.

 

[Cuda1447]

For those who care, the guy who got fired is doing an AMA on reddit.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/w24m9/iama_hallandale_beach_lifeguards_that_got_fired/

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yeah, that's messed up. Hopefully he'll get a better job somehwere else because of it.

 

[dmcowen674]

He broke the rules, he should have stood at the line in the sand and watch the guy drown.

He is a liability and should never get another job ever again.

add 6 more that were fired for saying they would do the same thing:

7-5-2012

http://gma.yahoo.com/fired-florida-...-save-man-165236451--abc-news-topstories.html

Fired Florida Lifeguard's Coworkers Out After Admitting They'd Save Man Outside Zone



Six Florida lifeguards have lost their jobs for backing a coworker's decision to save a man struggling in the surf but outside their jurisdiction.

Six of Lopez's coworkers said they would have done the same thing. And now, they're fired too.

Jeff Ellis and Associates, the aquatic safety contractor that fired Lopez, did not immediately respond to ABC News requests for comment. But a company spokeswoman told the Sun Sentinel that Lopez's actions raised "liability issues."

 

[soulcougher73]

It sucks he got fired but if i was him i wouldnt care. All i know is i did the right thing and saved someones life. Another company will hire me, its no like life is over.

Actually i would refuse to go back to that company if they attempted to rehire me due to internet shit storm.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Yet if he was off the boundaries and another person drowned inside the boundaries; the company would have been liable.

 

[Veliko]

Yet if he was off the boundaries and another person drowned inside the boundaries; the company would have been liable.

Liable for what?

 

[Dulanic]

What assholes. Other lifeguards covered his area and I hope the city ends the contract when possible. Hopefully will put that company out of business and another better one will take it's place.

 

[lokiju]

He broke the rules, he should have stood at the line in the sand and watch the guy drown.

He is a liability and should never get another job ever again.

Well said.

 

[DrunkenSano]

I hope the aquatic safety contractor that fired the lifeguard ends up drowning in the next few days. Fuck him.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Doing the right thing in a Business/Corp environment almost ALWAYS results in "shot in the foot".

 

[oynaz]

Good Samaritan laws protect the lifeguard in most states even if something went wrong. I would feel obligated to assist someone if I saw someone struggling and was trained in a particular skill that could save their life. I would hope most people would feel obligated to help.

True. In many countries, it would have been illegal of him NOT to rescue the swimmer.

 

[vi edit]

Yet if he was off the boundaries and another person drowned inside the boundaries; the company would have been liable.

Playing devils advocate to the original story, yeah that was the first thing that came to mind. If he was assigned to a designated spot and was 1/4 mile away there's no way he'd be able to help someone he was *supposed* to be watching.

Not saying I agree with the company, but I kinda sorta understand the logic there.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Yet if he was off the boundaries and another person drowned inside the boundaries; the company would have been liable.

Liable for what?

the purpose of having a lifeguard in the area is to help those in trouble.

the company had a contract.

the company was unable to fulfill the contract due to negligence.

Hence they are liable for any legal issues that arise due to non-fulfillment.

 

[Jeff7]

"If you are going to drown, please do so within the permitted area."

 

[alkemyst]

reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/w24m9/iama_hallandale_beach_lifeguards_that_got_fired

Total BS. In all honesty the family could have sued the city should the guy have died while 'private sector' lifeguards watched.

This is about sheltering the private "for profit" firm not about the 'right' thing to do.

I hope Susan Ellis faces this delema herself one day and has others just youtubing the event since they were not permitted to help her.

 

[sixone]

the purpose of having a lifeguard in the area is to help those in trouble.

the company had a contract.

the company was unable to fulfill the contract due to negligence.

Hence they are liable for any legal issues that arise due to non-fulfillment.

That's not any different than if two swimmers were drowning within the contracted area, and the lifeguard had to choose which one to save and which one to ignore.

IF that's negligence, it's negligence on the part of the company for not providing enough manpower to save an undefined number of swimmers simultaneously.